Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner

A special thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Newly retired Ruth Cooperman longs for a simpler life in a sleepy seaside locale. She rents the perfect waterfront cottage for the summer while waiting for a property to become available. But little does she know that her new life will be full of drama, starting with a baby being left on her doorstep. Right away, Ruth calls Elsie Douglas, the owner of the house. But Elsie—who has been trying to have a baby for years—doesn't turn the infant over to social services.

Trying to run a business and look after a baby is proving to be too much, so Elsie and her wife, Fern, enlist the help of the community. Caring for baby Mira has Ruth feeling nostalgic and she reaches out to her estranged daughter, Olivia. She invites her to Provincetown for the summer in the hopes of reconciling. The summer home quickly fills up—Elsie and Fern move back in because they need more room for the baby, and Olivia shows up and extends an invitation to her dad, Ruth's ex-husband, Ben.

The summer grows new relationships while putting others to the test. Unlikely alliances form and secrets are revealed...including the biggest one of all: who Mira's mother is.

Summer Longing is more than a story with a great locale. It is about the bonds of women through friendships and motherhood. One of Brenner's favourite themes is of the families we choose. Although this is a mother-daughter story, it is also about those that we want to be part of our family. Mira brings the women of the town together: Amelia Cabral, the matriarch who lost her own child; Elise who longs for a baby; Fern, who is concerned that Elsie is going to suffer more heartbreak; and Jaci Barros, a teenager feeling smothered by her parents and the expectations that they've put on her.

If you love a good family drama, stick your toes in the sand and dive in. 

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JAMIE BRENNER studied literature at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Jamie moved to New York City where she started her career at HarperCollins Publishers, then later Barnes&Noble.com and Vogue.com before returning to books and becoming an author.

She is the nationally bestselling author of The Forever Summer. Her novels include Drawing Home, The Husband Hour, The Wedding Sisters, and The Gin Lovers.

Brenner lives in New York City with her husband and daughters.